RACER to Investigate PFAS Near Lansing Plant 6 Property

RACER Trust will conduct further off-site sampling of shallow groundwater at two location east of the former Lansing Plant 6 property during the first week of May. The purpose of the work is to evaluate if PFAS impacts have migrated off-site in groundwater east of Plant 6. Please click below to view and download a fact sheet about the upcoming work.

MDEQ Information from April 23 Public Meeting

Please click the link below to view and download information presented by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality during a public meeting to discuss a proposed remedial work plan to address 1,4-dioxane impacts at RACER Trust properties in Lansing Township.

RACER Trust Information for April 23 MDEQ Meeting on 1,4-Dioxane Work Plan

RACER Trust will present the information found in the link below at the MDEQ’s public meeting on a proposed Interim Measures Work Plan for 1,4-dioxane at the former Lansing Plant 2 and Plant 3 properties. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in the boardroom of the Lansing Township Hall, 3209 W. Michigan Ave., Lansing.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has issued the following public notice:

The Department of Environmental Quality, Waste Management and Radiological Protection Division (WMRPD), has received an Interim Measures Work Plan from the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust Plants 2 &3 entitled: Interim Measures Work Plan Lower 1,4-Dioxane Biosparge (Work Plan). The RACER Plants 2 and 3 are located in Lansing, adjacent to Rosemary Avenue, between Michigan Avenue and Willow Street. The Work Plan proposes an in-situ bioremediation technology as an interim and potentially final corrective measure for the 1,4-dioxane plume, present in the weathered bedrock at the site, to effectively treat and prevent the plume from migrating off-site. A public meeting will be held in the boardroom of the Lansing Township Hall on April 23, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. For information, please contact: Christine Matlock, Project Manager, Hazardous Waste Section, WMRPD, at 517-284-6577 or by e‑mail at matlockc2@michigan.gov.

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MDEQ Public Hearing Postponed

A public meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 12, as part of the 1,4-dioxane remediation on RACER Trust Lansing Plants 2 & 3 has been postponed because of expected inclement weather.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, which was to host the meeting at the Lansing Township Board Room, announced the postponement. The meeting will be rescheduled, likely for a date in March. RACER Trust will post information about a new meeting date when it is announced.

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MDEQ Notice: RACER Lansing Plants 2 & 3 Public Meeting

Who: Staff from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) are hosting a public meeting as part of the 1,4-dioxane remediation on the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust Lansing Plants 2 & 3 located at the corner of W Saginaw Hwy and N Rosemary St.

What: Staff from the MDEQ and the RACER Trust consultant - ARCADIS will each speak on the proposed next steps regarding this historic contamination in a well head protection area. Following the presentations, time will be available for those in attendance to ask questions. During this time, staff from MDEQ, ARCADIS, and RACER Trust will be happy to respond to questions and provide more information and clarification when possible.

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Results of Sampling, Former Lansing Plants 2 and 6

RACER Trust’s environmental consultant collected storm water samples from manholes at two locations where storm water leaves the former Lansing Plant 2 Property and at five off-site storm sewer manholes in Osborne and Verlinden Streets near where storm water leaves the former Lansing Plant 6 Property. These samples were collected after initial sampling indicated the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in on-site groundwater in excess of the State of Michigan surface water quality standard for PFOS.
The results have been submitted to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE, formerly the Michigan Department Environmental Quality), which is overseeing RACER’s work at its Lansing-area properties.
PFOS was detected above the state standard at one of the two storm water sampling locations at Plant 2. Additional sampling of the Plant 2 storm sewer system was completed on January 26, 2019, to obtain additional data to better isolate potential contributions of PFOS in storm water. This data will be used to help identify and evaluate possible options to mitigate discharge of PFOS to the Ingham County and City of Lansing sewers located north of Plant 2.

Read the Plant 2 PFAS Storm Sewer Sampling report
Additional work at Plant 6 included installation and sampling of temporary monitoring wells and soil borings as well as collection of samples from adjacent rights-of-way. PFOS and PFOA exceed drinking water criteria at several locations along the eastern property boundary of Plant 6, as well as in the southwest portion of the Site, near a former rinse water cistern. Additional sampling is proposed to complete delineation near the property boundaries.

RACER Trust also has submitted to MDEQ a work plan to facilitate biodegradation in the lower 1,4-dioxane plume that extends from the Plant 3 “coliseum” area to the south-central portion of Plant 2.

The details provided in the work plan are subject to updates as MDEQ completes its review and the design work progresses.

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Proposed 1,4-dioxane Remedial Approach

After extensive sampling of Site conditions, testing the approach at the Site and reviews with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, RACER Trust is proposing to remediate the lower 1,4-dioxane plume at the former Lansing Plants 2 & 3 using a technology called biosparging, a technique that involves bubbling air through the groundwater to stimulate biological activity. In this case, RACER Trust is recommending the safe, controlled injection of an air/propane mixture and nutrients into the subsurface to stimulate the activity of microorganisms, which will biodegrade 1,4-dioxane. 1,4-dioxane degrades to non-toxic carbon dioxide and water. The activity, if approved, will be comprehensively monitored to track progress. The technology would be implemented in 2019 and 2020 and is expected to operate 10 or more years.

RACER to Conduct Additional Activities in Lansing

RACER Trust will install monitoring wells, complete additional soil borings and collect water samples from storm sewers, among other activities, in November and December near its properties in Lansing. A detailed fact sheet can be viewed and downloaded from the link below.RACER Lansing Project Update, November 2018